The Incentive

This picture is out of Tom's hotel window last year

My Honey is in San Diego til Friday.  He has an annual conference there.  So I'm single-moming it for a few days. 
   I was kind of lax yesterday when the kids got home from school.  They played outside until almost 6 pm.  When dinner was ready I sent the neighbor kids home and we ate.  Then I knew the hard part was about to begin.  Tom is really good at helping the kids with homework, but he wasn't home.  So getting the house picked up and homework done was going to be tricky.  
    I decided I was going to declare an incentive.  I told the kids that in 70 minutes if they had (I wrote this list on the white board so they could keep track by checking things off): cleaned their rooms, cleaned the living room, did their after dinner chore of clearing the table/dishwasher, homework worksheet, spelling, reading and got their PJs on THEN we would have a Easter egg hunt with malt ball eggs.  I reminded them only once that it was up to them.  I would not keep reminding them about what to do. By the time the timer rang each child had checked off each item.  So the night was a success. Homework was done, the house straightened up and I didn't spend an hour yelling and nagging the kids.
  While I hid the eggs in the living room I could hear the kids in the boys room laughing all together.  When I went in to get them I told them that one of the best things for a mom to hear is all of her children playing and laughing together.  It makes my heart so happy!